Title: Life Isn't a Love Story

Author: Darkmoonphase

Summary: Tobi was everything to me but life was fast. My everything, I learned, could be ripped from me so quickly; I would have hardly any time to breathe. Life wasn't some storybook love story. Life was fleeting. But this was not beauty.

Genre: Romance / Angst

Rating: Um…I think I might actually make this teen to be safe.

A/N: This story is dedicated toCera Lennox The Insane because she wanted this story out there already. And it's also dedicated toZetsu's Rose because of all the support I've received from her. I hope that this story doesn't disappoint either of you. But I do thank the rest of my faithful reviewers for being so…faithful…Um…Oh, and I'm sorry for killing off Tobi – twice in a row now. T-T I really am sorry about that. I wrote this one before "His Last Christmas Wish" so I couldn't really fix this in any way…

Sorry that it's so fast-paced. I hope you enjoy it, though, and hope that this isn't some big disappointment.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or characters thereof because they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I also don't own "Rapunzel" or "Romeo and Juliet".

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~…~

I tried to be patient with my boyfriend because I loved him. He was the only thing that could make me smile while I cried. My life revolved around him. But he was full of mistakes. Not that I cared – I could look past that and I usually did. It frustrated me but he always looked so apologetic and scared when he messed up, I always just shrugged it off. After all, he was the only reason I lived now.

Tobi was accident-prone and a very happy, energetic person. He was the only person I'd ever cared so much for. And so I tried my hardest to be patient with him while he tried his hardest to be perfect – even if I didn't want him to be.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel; let down your long hair!"

I sighed and jumped from the balcony. I walked over to Tobi and with a smile on my face. "Tobi, you do realize that's not even the right play, right, un?" I asked, trying to be nice.

"Tobi forgot what he was supposed to say!" he cried desperately and the rest of the cast groaned. "Tobi's trying really hard, Deidara-senpai. This play's kind of difficult for him…"

I stared at him for a moment before I smiled sadly. "I know you are, un. It's probably kind of hard for everyone else, too. But what was with that line, un?" I reached over and took his hand comfortingly.

"Tobi was improvising," he told me cheerfully. "Well…he was trying anyway…" He wrapped his other arm around his torso and gave my hand a small squeeze. I knew he was scared of my response at that point.

"That pretty much involves saying lines from the play you're performing, un," I muttered with an amused smile. "Look, why don't we take a break, okay? We'll look over your lines and then we'll get back into the rehearsal, un." He nodded eagerly. I glanced at the rest of the cast and they agreed reluctantly. I led Tobi to the front of the balcony prop and we sat down, leaning against it. Tobi pulled his script from his pocket and handed it to me. I flipped through it and said, "Start from where we just were."

"Um…Tobi will try. Will you give him a prompt?" he asked hopefully as I found the page I was looking for.

I smiled and nodded. "'O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse they name: Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.'" I stared apprehensively at him.

"You'd make a wonderful Juliet, Deidara-senpai," Tobi told me seductively. I blushed and glanced down at the script. "'Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?'" I looked back up at him, a bit startled, and he sighed. "Tobi can remember his lines so easily when he practices his lines with you. Can't you please play Juliet?"

"No, I'm stage manager, un," I reminded him with a blush. "Ino's playing her. She looks a bit like me – can't you pretend, un?" I bit my lower lip hopefully but he shook his head.

"Looks mean nothing…" he whispered, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. "'It is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!"'

I stared at him for a moment, a bit annoyed now that I knew for sure that he had his lines fully memorized. "'Romeo!'" I tried not so smile smugly.

"'My dear?'" Tobi responded, seeming alert.

"Just think of me while you rehearse then, un," I told him, smacking him lightly upside the head before getting up and walking away. "Okay, back to the rehearsal, everyone!" Everyone that was supposed to be in that scene wandered back to their places, Ino up on the balcony. I stood off to the side, watching carefully and hopefully.

Ino walked out onto the balcony and rested her chin on her hand, elbow on the railing. She sighed as if daydreaming and started, "'O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name: Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.'"

"'Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?'" Tobi responded, walking under the balcony and leaning against it, looking blissful.

"''T is but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name. What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes, without that title – Romeo, doff thy name; And for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself!'"

"'I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.'" Tobi slipped from under the balcony and looked up at Ino happily. I sighed and sat down, watching the play rehearsal with renewed hope. It took a lot of work but after a few hours, we had most of the play down. We put the costumes away and cleaned up some. The other members of the cast all waved as we parted, walking home. "That was fun, once Tobi got the hang of it."

I sighed and then smiled at him. "You knew what you were doing and you know it, un." He chuckled mischievously. "So, where do you want to go for dinner?"

"Tobi's not really sure…" he murmured, pushing the button for the crosswalk. "He's in the mood for something spicy though." I rolled my eyes and watched for the little white man to take the place of the red hand.

"I want something more subtle, un," I told him quietly. The hand changed to the man and we started to cross. "Maybe we should go to that one restaurant down that way." I pointed down the street to my right and he looked, nodding. "It always has what we're in the mood for, un."

"You're right," he agreed happily. The seconds were counting down still when I heard an odd sound. I turned my head at the same time Tobi did and we saw a car speeding down the street toward us. I paused for a moment before grabbing Tobi's wrist and sprinting across the street. We both knew that one of us wouldn't make it and, apparently, Tobi didn't want it to be me.

He spun me, forcing me back to the middle of the street. He darted after me but the car slammed into him, tossing him a good three feet into the street. My throat hurt from screaming but I didn't remember screaming. People were shouting and get out of their cars, a few calling 911 and I just stood there, numb. My heart twisted around in my chest and I felt like I was suffocating. In moments, I feared, my life could be worthless. Tobi could be gone in only seconds. Sure, the most beautiful things were the fleeting ones but it wasn't beautiful when it was someone you cared about.

Finally, I ran over to his broken body as sirens sounded somewhere nearby. I dropped to my knees next to him, sobbing uncontrollably. This was my Tobi, lying in the streets, unmoving. And I was scared for him, so scared.

~…~

:

~…~

I sat on the end of his hospital bed, looking at his now re-masked face. Needles with tubes attached to them were sticking out of his arms and the heart monitor beeped softly in time to the rise and fall of his chest. I just sat there, staring at him and feeling rather numb again. The panic, shock and pain had faded when I had been sitting in the waiting room, anticipating the moment when I would be able to see him again. I knew that he probably wouldn't look the same. It wasn't possible for someone who had been thrown a few feet into the air to look exactly the same as before.

Suddenly, Tobi murmured something and shifted. I jumped to my feet and was instantly at his side. "Tobi?" I asked anxiously. He turned his head toward me and I licked my lips, waiting to hear his voice – if he could still talk.

"Deidara!" he said softly but sounding pleased. I sighed and wrapped my arms gently around him. "Ow…" I yanked away, hoping that I hadn't hurt him too badly. "Well, hey, wait a second. Tobi didn't say that you were hurting him, Deidara-senpai!" I smiled, trying not to make it a sad one, at his humor. Even if he could be staring at Death's door, he'd laugh his way in.

"How are you feeling, un?" I asked quietly. He gave me a lie, saying he was fine. Then there was a silence that I found almost awkward. It was amazing to know how fast life threw things at you. One moment, we had been talking about food and now I was staring at him as he lay in a hospital bed, probably in pain.

"Hey, Tobi was thinking…" I stared at him in anticipation. "Hang on, let's see if Tobi can remember… 'Ah, dear Juliet, why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe that unsubstantial death is amourous; And that the lean abhorred keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour? For fear of that I still will stay with thee, and never from this palace of dim night depart: here, here I will remain with worms that are thy chambermaids; O, here will I set up my everlasting rest, and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh. –Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace!'" Tobi paused and lifted one arm. I leaned over, wrapping my arms around him and resting my cheek against his chest.

When he didn't go on immediately, I whispered, "What exactly is this about, un?"

He didn't respond quickly so instead we listened to the beeping of the heart monitor. "'And lips, o you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death! Come, bitter conduct, come unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!'" Tobi paused again and ran his fingers through my hair. I bit my lower lip. I still didn't understand what this was about. "'Thus with a kiss I die.'"

I lifted myself up and mumbled, "You skipped a line, un." He nodded almost knowingly and I frowned. "I don't understand…"

"Not much to understand, Deidara-senpai. Tobi was awake enough to know that the doctors were afraid that Tobi wouldn't recover," he told me, his voice more of a whisper at that point. "And the pain medicine stuff is wearing off… Will you please take Tobi's mask off soon?" He sounded tired but utterly happy.

I nodded weakly. "Sure…" I tugged at the hem of my sleeve and wiped my tears away. I think I was starting to get it and it hurt.

"Deidara-senpai?" Tobi asked softly, struggling to stay awake. "Tobi did good, right? He remembered all his lines this time…"

"Yeah, you did." I paused and thought for a minute, before I said, "Tobi's a good boy, un."

"Yay!" Tobi whispered weakly, somehow still managing to sound happy. "Does Deidara-senpai love Tobi?" I could hear the lack of breath as the heart monitor beeps sped up.

I started sobbing and found myself once more against his chest. "I do, un. I love you so much, Tobi." I understood at that point and I wished that I hadn't. The pain was blinding, unbearable.

"Tobi loves you, too," Tobi murmured happily. There was a sudden long beep and I couldn't stop crying. I knew…I knew…

Into his shirt, I whispered hoarsely, "'What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop, to help me after? –I will kiss thy lips; Haply, some poison yet doth hang on them, To make me die with a restorative.'" I forced myself to pull away from him and wipe some of my tears away. Then, I wrapped my fingers around his mask and carefully slid it off, hearing people hurrying toward the room. I stared at his beautiful face for a moment before choking on my tears at the sight. His eyes were closed and a satisfied smile on his lips as a tear slipped from his lashes. I took my thumb and ran it across his face, taking it away from his perfect skin.

The pain ripped at me as I stared at him. I felt my fingers go numb and there was a clatter as Tobi's mask dropped to the ground. I leaned in and, after a moment's hesitation, I touched my lips to his. I couldn't stop crying. I jerked away, hurting my neck a little as I tried not to choke on my sobs. My whole body was aching and I was trying to gather enough air to breathe normally but my lungs weren't working with me. Doctors hurried in and started examining Tobi, talking about things I wasn't listening to. I stumbled back away from him, closing my eyes to capture that last memory of his face in my mind. And then I whispered, ever so softly,

"'Thy lips are warm.'"